Packing retainer



March 25, 1930. L. P. MOORE 1,751,837

PACKING RETAINER Filed June 21, 1928 INVENTOR L.RMJOI"- Q MA-1,

ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 25, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT..-

LYMAN P. MOORE, OF CHICO, CALI IFORNIA racxme RETAINER Application filedThis invention relates to railway rolling stock and particularly to aretainer for packing of the journal boxes of the journals of railroadcars.

Such journals, as is well known, are supported by inverted bearinsections, mounted in the boxes, the latter being stuffed withpacking,usually cottonwaste, which is placed about the portion ofthe'journal below the hearing and of course is prevented from ac-.tually leaving the box by the front cover of the same. There isconsiderable space, however, between the cover and the outer end of thejournal and it frequently occurs that the packing loosens up and worksaway from the. ournal and into said space where it ceases to function toefficiently lubricate the journal and bearing. As a consequence thelatter overheats and a hot box results.

The principal object of my invention is to avoid the occurrence of suchhot boxes by preventing the packing from thus moving away from itsproperly packed relation about the journal by providm a retaining memberwhich is placed in the ox and which is so constructed as to efficientlyhold the packing in its proper place.

At the same time the retainer is easily removed whenever necessary towithdraw old packing and replace the same with new.

Also my retainer is of such a nature that it may be applied to standardjournal boxes without necessitating any changes of any character beingmade to such boxes.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensivedevice and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purposefor which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claim.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the several views: I

Fig. 1 is a side section of a journal box showing my retainer in placetherein.

Fig. 2 is a cross section of the journal boxes so taken substantially onthe line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

June 21, 1928. Serial No. 287,062. f J

Fig. 3 is a perspective-view of theretainer detached. g

Referring vnow more particularly to the characters of reference onthedrawings, the journal structure comprises the boxl, in the upperportion of which is mounted the inverted bearing member 9 against whichthe journal 3 bears; the sides of the bearing and journal being spacedsome distance from the sides of the box. The front: of the box as usualcurves upwardly in front a certain dis tance as shown at 4 to the loweredge of the covering opening 5. These parts are all standard and I donot change'the same in the slightest degree. The packing 6 is disposedabout the lower portion of the journal and extends upwardly in the spacebetween the journal and the sides of the box to'a point substantiallyhorizontally alined with the axis of the journal, and also substantiallyfills the lower portion of the spacein' the box in front of the journaland below the cover opening.

My improved packing retainercompris'es a single piece of spring steelrod. This rod is bent to form a pair of parallel arms 7, spaced apart adistance suflicient to fit between the journal and the sides of thebox,""* and formed'with vertically disposed spring loopsv 8 intermediatetheir ends. these-arms are connected by a cross portion 9 whichcentrally of its extent is'forme'd with a substantially horizontaland'forwardly pro-' jecting loop 10. At their other ends the arms 7 areprovided with upstanding prongs 11 disposedat an angle of approximatelylto the arms. The dimensions of the retainer are such that when inposition, the loop 10 bears againstthe upper surface of the lowerforward por ion of the packing and abuts 90 against the front surface 4;of the box below the cover opening; while the cross member 9 extendsacross and rests on such portion of the packing between the journal andthe front of the box. The arms 7 slope upwardly rela tive to the journaland for a portion of their length bear against the top surface of theacking in the side surfaces of the box.

At the same time the tips of the prongs then bear against the roof ofthe box as shown At one end 80 prevents outward movement of the. prongsfrom their engaged position with the roof, and said retainer preventsdisplacement of. the packing from its proper compressed condition aboutthe journal. The spring loops 8 permit the arms to yield when the prongste position of the prongs. These loops also 30 provide a greater area ofsurface to engage the packing than the bare rods would provide. When itis desired to-remove the retainer, it is only necessary to pull theprong portions 11 both downwardly and outwardly until they pass throughthe cover opening. The entire retainer. can then obviously be drawnclear of the box.

From the foregoing description it will be .readily seen that I haveproduced such a de- Vice as substantially fulfills the objects of theinvention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit ofthe invention, as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus described'my invention what claim as new and useful anddesire to sem cure by Letters Patent is:

packing retainer for a journal box, said box having a bearing memberagainst which the upper portion of the journal bears, said journal andbearing being spaced from theside walls of the box, and packingpartially filling the box from the front thereof and extending into thespace between the journai and box; said retainer comprising side arms toextend upwardly and inwardly of said space and adapted to bear againstthe upper forward surface of the packing therein, extensions on theinner ends of said arms projecting upwardly thereof to engage the roofof the box in said space, and a horizontal member connecting theopposite ends of the arms to bear against the packing in front of thejournal and to engage the front wall of the box. I

In testimony whereof I aflix' my signature. LYMAN P. MOORE.

